The first time I heard someone talk about the new Smirnoff Ice Double Black with Guarana (hereafter referred to as Guarana), I thought it sounded ridiculous. With a couple shots in your system, the name sounds weird; “Double back, tutaonana” which loosely translates to “Double back, we shall see each other” is what I heard him say. The seeing each other in context usually comes from someone intending to avoid payment of debts but again, context matters. When the waiter actually nodded, I was sure to chuckle at the stupidity of the internal dialogue in my head. When he did double back, I was surprised that it actually existed.
That is how I was introduced to Guarana. Not that I had it then, I don’t like mixing. It is always good (and advisable) to maintain the fidelity of your alcohol, that way, you can trace where to throw your blame and in which direction to point fingers afterwards.
A couple of days later, I was accosted by the black and silver can at the counter way before any of the regular brands noticed I was there. I was the worm and Guarana, the sharp and early bird that caught me. Ofcourse, it helped matters that it was early in the evening and that a can costed Ksh.100. It is a small can, so I had two of them just so I could gauge the effects after a while. Soon enough my friends checked in, and so was the night.
“What is that you are having?”
“Smirnoff Guarana”
“It is a brand of black ice, yes?”
“There is ice and black in the name, the colors are the same. I guess it is the same but with twice the blackness”
“Ooow, but aren’t these things are for girls? It can’t get you high!”
“Your brown bottle is of less alcohol content, so shut it.”
“What is Guarana anyway?”
I remove my phone to Google and nod knowingly
“It is a brazilian fruit that contains caffeine used in energy drinks”
“So it is an alcoholic energy drink?”
“I guess it is, vodka is alcoholic and caffeine is a stimulant”
We pause in deep thought, the discussion is more complicated than wondering if Russia (Vodka) has ever met with Brazil (Guarana) before, even in the World Cup. The crispness of the chilled drink and the lingering taste kept me busy from these thoughts. The night wore on as the effects of respective bottles checked in.
The last time I felt that charged and high was an experiment of brandy and coffee; the rationale was one to knock you out while the other jolted you back on. It was silly I know, but campus was the place to try these things after all. The Guarana crept up behind the vodka and the vodka overtook the Guarana. I recommended it to a friend I made that day, she promised to “double back” but never came back. It must have been that good.